Perforated ear drum

Ear drum perforations can arise following middle ear infections or trauma (a slap or blow to the ear). The majority of perforations will heal spontaneously if the ear is kept dry and any infection treated however if healing has not occurred by around six weeks after the original injury it is unlikely to heal on its own. Some typical perforations are shown below,

Such perforations can give problems with recurring infections, particularly when the ear gets wet, and hearing loss.

Repair of these is possible by a surgical procedure called a myringoplasty or tympanoplasty.